Brussels, 09/10/2014 (Agence Europe) - High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, Iran's Minister for Foreign Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif and US Secretary of State John Kerry are to meet in Vienna on 15 October to discuss the Iranian nuclear programme. This was announced on Wednesday 8 October by Ashton's spokesperson.
“The meetings form part of the intensive diplomatic efforts by the E3+3, under the leadership of Catherine Ashton, to reach a comprehensive solution by 24 November, under which Iran would reassure the international community about the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear programme”, Ashton's spokesperson stated.
The last round of negotiations for 10 days at the end of September finished without any significant progress (see EUROPE 11165). Marzieh Afkham, the spokesperson from the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that “a better understanding on the differences of opinion [was] beginning to emerge”. However, progress in the negotiations has been “slow” thus far, Afkham added. (CG)